Alan Grayson
Alan Grayson's JournalMoneybomb: This Is the End
The end of the Grayson moneybomb is approaching rapidly. We hate to disagree with Shakespeare. But in this case, we have to.
In Macbeth, the protagonist says:
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time.”
(Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5, lines 19-21.)
Well, that’s not how it seems to us. Our days don’t creep by. Our days bolt by, like an Olympic bobsled event. Like 293 consecutive somersaults. Like we’re strapped to an ICBM.
And this day – Moneybomb Day – is almost gone. (Unless you happen to live in Japan, in which case it’s already gone.)
Our “100 Days to Victory” moneybomb has featured moving and memorable testimonials from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, liberal legend Dennis Kucinich, and actor-activists Martin Sheen and Mike Farrell. What they’ve all been trying to tell you is this:
It’s important to have Alan Grayson in Congress. He not only needs your help. He deserves your help.
If you are the cynical sort, then you may discount all this as “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5, lines 26-28.) But that would be wrong. Because Alan Grayson is different, and Alan Grayson makes a difference.
Alan Grayson likes to tell a story about a Member of Congress whom he met before he was elected. He asked her, privately, what she thought was the best thing about the job. He anticipated that she might mention Congressional Delegation trips to foreign lands, or maybe meeting the rich and famous. Nope. She told Alan that the best thing about being in Congress is “all the good you can do for people.”
And that, my friend, that is what this moneybomb is all about. We’re not talking about whether or not one human being gets elected to Congress. We’re talking about fighting for progressive principles, and . . . winning. We’re not talking about the final score on Nov. 4. We’re talking about justice, equality and peace. Yes, we’re talking about “all the good you can do for people.”
Now let us ask you a question: Do you know anyone else in public life who lets it all hang out this way? Elizabeth Warren, maybe? Well, she’s not on the ballot this year. Nor Bernie Sanders. Nor Dennis Kucinich. Nor Barney Frank. Nor Russ Feingold. Nor Paul Wellstone, bless the memory of him.
Alan Grayson is on the ballot this year. And he deserves your support. Before midnight tonight.
This is the end. But with Alan Grayson carrying our banner forward, it also is the beginning -- of something beautiful.
Peace,
Team Grayson
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr., teaching a simple lesson: Don’t be silent.
Alan Grayson: "The Strongest American Voice for Peace"
Today, for our “100 Days to Victory” moneybomb finale, we bring you an extraordinarily moving and evocative message from actor-activist Martin Sheen. Sheen is America’s favorite fictitious President, residing in the “West Wing” for seven wonderful years. He also is an amazingly active activist, an outspoken leader against nuclear weapons and capital punishment, and in favor of peace, the right to organize, gun control, immigration reform, the environment and care for the homeless. As Martin Sheen puts it, “acting is what I do for a living; activism is what I do to stay alive.” Let’s hear what he has to say about our Congressman with Guts, Rep. Alan Grayson…“Hello. I’m Martin Sheen, and for seven years, I played the role of President of the United States on the ‘West Wing.’
You know, the President’s most important responsibility is his own role as Commander-in-Chief, and his most important decisions are the decisions between war and peace.
In today’s Washington, D.C., Congressman Alan Grayson is perhaps the strongest American voice for peace.
Before he was elected to Congress, he prosecuted Iraq war profiteers.
He ran for Congress on a platform of peace in Iraq and Afghanistan and constructive relationships between America and the rest of the world.
[link:https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/0714moneybomb?refcode=072814DU&amount=20.14&recurring=48| And last year, when the prospect of war between the United States and Syria reared its ugly head, Alan Grayson worked tirelessly to convince both his colleagues and the American people to give peace a chance.
Alan Grayson not only won that fight, but he also established a critical principle: that when it’s our blood to be spilled, and when it’s our money to be spent, then it’s our decision to make. ]
Tireless, tough, creative, articulate, honest, poised, and persuasive, Alan Grayson has become one of the bold leaders of the renewed peace movement here in America.
I support him, and I’m urging you to support him as well. Because Alan Grayson is what America needs right now.
Alan Grayson has won the long-promised blessing reserved for the peacemakers. Thank you.”
[Click on any link to see the Martin Sheen video.]
Why does Alan Grayson deserve your support in this “100 Days to Victory”moneybomb? Because Alan Grayson is a “ bold leader of the renewed peace movement here in America. ”
If you contribute today, every dollar that you give will be matched by two more, from two generous supporters. And if you give $20.14 or more, you will have a chance to join Alan in Orlando on Election Day.
Today is Moneybomb day. If you have been thinking about giving, the day is today, and the time is now.
Contribute now to help reelect the “strongest American voice for peace.”
Thanks,
Team Grayson
Moneybomb Match: Your $1 Equals $3
Here is the deal: For every dollar that you give in our moneybomb, we have two donors who have promised to match it.
$1 + $1 + $1 = $3.
Maybe you’d like to be able to give this campaign $75, but frankly, that’s a lot of money. Fine; you just give us $25, and the other two will give us another $50. Everyone’s happy.
But if you give $0, then they give $0. Everyone’s sad.
This offer is good through 11:59 pm on Monday, July 28, 2014. Void where prohibited. Blah-blah-blah.
You want to know how we did this? It was brilliant, if we do say so ourselves. (And if we don’t, then who will?) We went to two very generous progressive donors who had not yet given to our campaign this year. We told them that we have 100,000 supporters, and we’re confident that if they each pledged to give up to $X, then our supporters would match them dollar-for-dollar. And they said, “Fantastic! A win-win situation!”
And now we’re telling you the same thing. But it’s only win-win if you give-give. And it’s lose-lose if you don’t-don’t. Hey, don’t leave us twisting slowly, slowly in the wind. [John Ehrlichman (1973).]
Would you like to know who these two anonymous benefactors are? Well, we’re not going to tell you, because if we did, then they wouldn’t be anonymous. (At least until our FEC report comes out.) It’s like that old TV show from the 1950’s called “The Millionaire.” You just see an arm reaching for the cashier’s check, and handing it to the executive secretary for delivery. “You sent for me, sir?” “Yes, Michael, here is the check.”
So please give us your check. Because life provides very few opportunities to triple your money, unless you’re at the racetrack. Citibank is now paying 0.01% interest on savings accounts. (For real.) At that rate, it would take you 1100 years to triple your money. We need your help in the year 2014, not in the year 3114, when Hillary Clinton the XXXIII will be running against George Bush the XXXV for President. Now, not then.
Oh, and just a reminder: we will be choosing one moneybomb contributor (donating $20.14 or more) to join Rep. Alan Grayson in Orlando on Election Day, or some other date that’s good for you. Come on, Mickey Mouse is dying to see you!
Anyway, the time has come. Please hit that CONTRIBUTE button below, with the warm feeling that whatever you give will be multiplied thrice. Not exactly like the fishes and the loaves, but still a very good deal.
Hoping for Continued Employment,
Team Grayson
Dennis Kucinich: "Alan Grayson is Committed to Social Justice and Peace"
[em]For today’s moneybomb message, we have former Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich. Congressman Kucinich, a proud progressive, was the only 2008 presidential candidate to have voted against occupying Iraq, and Dennis later brought articles of impeachment against President Bush and Vice President Cheney. Dennis has recorded a video urging you to support Rep. Alan Grayson’s reelection campaign. Here’s why:[/em]
“Hi. I’m Dennis Kucinich. I served with Alan Grayson in the United States Congress.
In the 16 years I spent in Congress, standing up, and working for peace, and speaking out whenever it was necessary, there were very few Members I met who are as committed - to peace, to social justice, to a fair economy - as is Alan Grayson.
When I saw the effort that was made to try to knock him out of Congress a few years ago, where interest groups raised over five and a half million dollars, I knew how important it was that people like you would be involved.
He's running for reelection, and he needs your help.
And we have to make sure that a voice that had the courage to stand up and stop this country from going into another war in the Middle East, a voice which [is] fearlessly dedicated to the cause of peace – a voice which is uncompromising when it comes to exposing wrongdoing in government – that voice, Alan Grayson’s voice, needs to stay in Congress.
And he will, with your help.
Contribute generously to his effort to be reelected.
Let’s make sure that Alan Grayson, a Congressman with Guts, someone who has the willingness to stand up and speak out when it counts, will continue to be speaking out for all of us.
Thank you very much. I’m Dennis Kucinich. Keep Alan Grayson in the United States Congress.”
* * *
[em]Let us explain further what Dennis Kucinich means when he says that Alan Grayson “had the courage to stand up and stop the country from going into another war in the Middle East.”
When the war drums are beating, who can you count on in Congress to sing the praises of peace? For as long as Dennis Kucinich was in Congress, you could count on Dennis. Today, you can count on Alan Grayson.
Last year, the United States was on the brink of war with Syria. In Shakespeare’s words, the military-industrial complex was “Cry[ing] Havoc! And let slip the dogs of war.” The foreign affairs establishment acted as though war with Syria was inevitable. The news media thought that war would be good for ratings. All signs pointed to another U.S. war in the Middle East.
But one Member of Congress, Alan Grayson, was brave enough to say, “No. When it’s our lives, our blood, and our money, then it’s our decision -- the American people must decide.” Alan was everywhere in the news, doing seven national TV interviews in a single day, patiently explaining that a U.S. military assault would not remove chemical weapons from the Syrians, that it would strengthen radical fundamentalists, and that it would be both expensive and dangerous. He argued his case to his colleagues, to the media, to the American people, and to the world. And Alan Grayson ignited a populist revolt against military intervention hit Congress, with public e-mails, letters and phone calls running 100-to-1 in favor of peace.
The Atlantic magazine called Alan Grayson “the Democratic Congressman Who Thinks He Can Stop the War.”
And guess what? He did. We did.
And now it’s time to feed the dove of peace a little bird seed. Help keep Alan Grayson in Congress, so that he can hold high our banner of peace . Contribute today to the Congressman who is “fearlessly dedicated to the cause of peace” -- Alan
[em]Sincerely
Team Grayson[/em]
“Alan Grayson is a Bold Progressive, and He Knows How to Win”
[em]As part of our 7/28 moneybomb, “100 Days to Victory,” we have a moving video today from actor/activist Mike Farrell. Mike is probably best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt in M*A*S*H. But he has a record as a political activist that stretches back for decades. Central American refugees are in the news today; Mike was helping them in 1985. He received the 2001 Humanitarian Award from the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), he was Chair of California’s Human Rights Watch for ten years, and he has been President of Death Penalty Focus for a decade. Two years ago, he led the effort to ban the death penalty in California, losing a statewide referendum by a very narrow margin. Let’s hear what Mike Farrell has to say about our Congressman with Guts, Rep. Alan Grayson…[/em]
“Hi. My name is Mike Farrell. I’ve been an actor and what is called a ‘political activist for more than 35 years.
I say ‘what is called a political activist’ because I prefer the term ‘citizen,’ and [link:https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/0714moneybomb?refcode=072614DU&amount=20.14&recurring=48| I think political activism is the responsibility of citizenship.
Successful political activism requires two things: you have to know where you want to go, and you have to get there.
Principles without action are pointless, and action without principles can be dangerous. You need both. And in Washington, none of our elected officials understands that better than Congressman Alan
Alan is a friend of mine. In the past year alone, he ran a people-powered campaign and returned to Congress in the biggest comeback in the history of the House of Representatives.
Alan formulated a “No-Cuts” pledge regarding Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that drew almost three million signatures , and then he personally delivered the petition to our Democratic President and our Republican House Speaker.
Alan successfully marshaled public opinion, public officials, and the media against U.S. military intervention in Syria. Bless him for that.
And in a Republican-controlled House, Alan Grayson has passed more amendments than any other Member, Democratic or Republican.
His amendments are true to progressive principles, like his ban on torture by the military, his ban on weaponized drones in the United States, his prohibition on government contract awards to contractors who commit felonies, his 50 percent increase in funding for federal bilingual housing counseling, and his reallocation of tens of millions of dollars from the military budget to Gulf War Syndrome and cancer research.
No wonder Slate Magazine named Alan Grayson “the most effective Member of Congress.”
In short, Alan Grayson is a bold, fearless progressive, and he knows how to win.
We need Alan to remain in Congress, fighting for progressive causes and winning.
He’s America’s Congressman.
I support Alan, and I hope you will, too. Support Alan Grayson -- not next week, not tomorrow, but today. Thank you!”
[em]We hope that you share Mike’s view: “We need Alan to remain in Congress… . He’s America’s Congressman.”
With your help, our “bold, fearless progressive” can continue fighting for the progressive causes we believe in. And he can win.
Click here, right now, to see Mike Farrell’s video or to support our “100 Days to Victory” moneybomb and contribute to the reelection of the “Most Effective Member of Congress”.
Would You Like to Join Me in Orlando on Election Night?
We want to do something special for our moneybomb this week. So if you contribute, then you will have a chance to join me in November for our Election Night Victory Party in Orlando, Florida.
That’s at our expense. We will fly the winner to Orlando, and put up that lucky soul (or souls) at a very nice hotel.
Maybe it will be you. I hope so, because you know that I would enjoy spending time with you, right?
Now I’m aware of the fact that the election takes place on a Tuesday, and many of our supporters actually work on Tuesdays. So if the winner can’t make it to Orlando on Election Night, then any time between now and the end of the year is fine. But I’m hoping that the winner can make it on Election Night, because I would like to share the fun.
One more thing: the winner also gets to go to Disney World or Universal Studios. Your choice.
By the way, if you already have contributed to our moneybomb, don’t sweat it. Everyone who has contributed to our campaign since we announced the moneybomb on Wednesday has a chance here. Because if we didn’t do that, it would be creepy. And we try our best not to be creepy. Butif you contribute again, then you have two chances.
By the way, I’m with me all the time. And I love it. I’m sure you will, too.
I recognize that there are some people who don’t want to be with me on Election Night. Frankly, there are some people who don’t want to be with me at all. If you are one of those people, then we have a special offer for you: If you contribute $5000 or more to our campaign, then we will exclude you from this offer. You don’t have to be with me, ever. The same is true of all your friends. And your enemies. Especially your enemies.
(Footnote: we don’t want a slew of one-cent contributions; MasterCard and Visa would kill us. So only contributors of $20.14 or more qualify. $20.14, because it’s 2014 – get it?)
A trip to Orlando. Disney World or Universal Studios. And being with me on Election Night. Gosh-darn it, what else do you want in life?
Oh, and one more reason to contribute to our moneybomb by Monday: You know that you can count on me. Now I’m counting on you. Click here, and make our “100 Days to Victory” moneybomb a success.
Courage,
Rep. Alan Grayson
Leader Pelosi: "Alan Grayson Refused to Back Down"
[em]Next up in support of our moneybomb this week is the House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Leader Pelosi is a progressive champion, the first female Speaker of the House, and the most powerful Democrat in the House of Representatives. Here are some remarks that Leader Pelosi made about our Congressman with Guts, Rep. Alan Grayson.
[/em]
“When the Supreme Court issued its wrongheaded [em]Citizens United[/em] decision and opened the floodgates to unlimited, secret, corporate dollars in our campaigns, Alan Grayson stood up on national television, and expressed his deep concern and his love for our democracy.
He stood up for the democracy our founders intended: A government of the many, not a government of the money.
For his courage, Congressman Grayson became a target of special interest spending, but he never stopped fighting – even after millions in outside funds succeeded in removing him from office.
Alan Grayson refused to back down.
He ran again.
He raised money from grassroots and small donors.
And he won .
Now he’s continuing the fight. [link:https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/0714moneybomb?refcode=072514Du&amount=20.14&recurring=48|]
No matter where you live, whether [you’re] in Florida’s 9th Congressional District or in communities nationwide, you can count on Alan Grayson – but only as long as he can count on us .
Please join the 100,000 people who have backed his campaign so far.
Please show your support for Alan Grayson today.
With your help, we can keep him in Congress, fighting for you."
[em]Leader Pelosi sums it up quite nicely: “You can count on Alan Grayson – but only as long as he can count on us.” [/em]
[em]Ain’t that the truth?
With special interests and corporate crooks ready to spend millions to defeat Alan Grayson, he’s going to need our help now more than ever.
[link:https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/0714moneybomb?refcode=072514Du&amount=20.14&recurring=48|Let’s make sure we can count on him in 2015, 2016, and beyond.
Contribute today to the Congressman you can count on: Alan Grayson.
Sincerely,
Team Grayson
[/em][br/]
"America Needs Alan Grayson"
[em] Leading off our moneybomb this week is the House Democratic Whip Congressman Steny Hoyer. Here are some remarks that Congressman Hoyer made during a visit to Rep. Alan Grayson’s district not too long ago. Congressman Hoyer is a champion for the Middle Class, he serves as the second highest-ranking member of House Democratic Leadership, and he plays a critical role in shaping the Democratic platform. Congressman Hoyer supports Rep. Alan Grayson, and here he explains why you should, too. Take it away, Steny![/em]
“In 2010, we had an awful, crazy election [in which] we lost a lot of good people. And some of them put their tail between their legs, and went away.
Alan Grayson didn’t do that.
Alan Grayson said, ‘I care too much about my country.’
Alan Grayson said, ‘I want to make sure that my people in Florida, in Central Florida, and in my country, reflect the values and the priorities and the vision that I think is important for this country.’
And that’s what Alan Grayson brings to this Congress.
I am asking you to reelect a Congressman who is making a difference, in Alan Grayson.
You tell them that they can make a difference. They have ways and means to do that.
Alan Grayson doesn’t need their money for his own sake. Alan Grayson doesn’t need their contributions.
America needs Alan Grayson. America needs your contribution.
Alan Grayson is the means to change this country."
[em]And there you have it –[link:https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/0714moneybomb?refcode=072414DU&amount=20.14&recurring=48| “Alan Grayson is the means to change this country.” He can make a difference, and you can too.
Contribute to Alan Grayson’s campaign today.
Contribute for America, because America needs Alan Grayson in Congress.
Sincerely,
Team Grayson[em]
Moneybomb This Week. Here's Why.
[em]Moneybomb. n. An organized fundraising event, usually online, targeted to a certain date or event. [/em]
With 100 days to go to Election Day, [strong]we’re doing a moneybomb this week[/strong].
Here’s why: [strong]We need the money[/strong].
In 2010, between Labor Day and Election Day, [strong]the Koch Brothers spent $4 million on blistering attack ads to defeat me. That could happen again[/strong]. The Koch Brothers already have been running ads against me, in my district, since last November.
We need to fight back. And you need money to fight back. Your money.
We don’t have $4 million in the bank right now. We don’t even have $2 million in the bank right now. And we know that TV time in Orlando is going to be very expensive this fall, because Skeletor – sorry, Florida Gov. Rick Scott – already is buying it up, with both fists.
So the idea behind this moneybomb is to take this campaign from where we are, to where we need to be. [strong]Sunday marks 100 days left before Election Day. We need to be on the path to victory. We’re hoping that this moneybomb puts us there.[/strong]
It’s happened before. The most successful moneybomb in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives was a Grayson moneybomb. Also the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th most successful House moneybombs. (Rep. Michele Bachmann came in 6th.)
So we can do it. And we need to do it. In the next 144 hours, I need you to be generous – as generous as you can be.
[strong]Do it for justice, equality and peace. [/strong]
Do it for America, or for Planet Earth.
Do it for the future of the ones you love.
Do it for me, and do it for you – [strong]because you’ll have a good feeling when you help a good cause[/strong].
Do it for whatever reason you want, but do it.
[strong]You know that you can count on me. Now I’m counting on you. Click here, and make our “100 Days to Victory” moneybomb a success.[/strong]
Courage,
Rep. Alan Grayson
Grayson: The Democrat the Republicans Love to Hate
Well, it’s official, because the [em]New York Times[/em] said it: [strong] [/strong] [strong]Rep. Alan Grayson is “the liberal Democrat that Republicans love to hate.”[/strong]
“The Old Gray Lady,” as the [em]New York Times[/em] sometimes is called, imparted that revelation last week, in an article about House Democrats who have been successful in coaxing Republican support for amendments on the Floor of the House. Maybe the entire article should have been about Alan; he has done it far more than anyone else.
And – whoops, there it is! – Alan did it again last week. He passed two amendments in the House: one that seriously punishes federal contractors who commit crimes, and a second that ups the federal appropriation for free tax assistance for seniors by 50%.
Oh, and Alan also held the Republicans’ feet to that clear blue flame by doing something that no one else had figured out how to do for the past four years: [strong]force a House vote on a federal minimum wage increase. Every single House Republican voted against the increase.[/strong] [strong] [/strong] Which reveals the House Republicans to the electorate as the callous corporate tools that they really are. Take THAT, GOP.
So how is it that Rep. Alan Grayson is able to win vote after vote for progressive causes in the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party House of Representatives? Is it his charm? No. Is it his good looks? Definitely not.
Nope, what it comes down to is this: [strong] Alan Grayson is able to craft progressive amendments that are just enough appealing to just enough Republicans to win. [/strong] Hence the headline in the [em]New York Times[/em] article: “Liberals and Libertarians Find Common Ground in House.”
So [strong]why is Alan “the liberal Democrat that Republicans love to hate”?[/strong] [strong] [/strong] Because he wins, without compromising his progressive principles. Because he wins, without kissing up to them.
[strong] Because he wins. [/strong]God, how they hate that.
What Rep. Alan Grayson is trying to do, what all of us on Team Grayson are trying to do, is to demonstrate something very simple: [strong][/strong] [strong]You can be a progressive, and you can win.
[/strong]
In New York, Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s favorable approval rating is approaching two-to-one. (And believe me, New Yorkers are a very tough audience. Fuhgeddaboudit.) Why? Because Mayor DeBlasio promised New Yorkers paid sick leave and universal pre-kindergarten programs, and then . . . DeBlasio delivered paid sick leave and universal pre-kindergarten programs.
Get it? [strong][/strong] [strong]You can be a progressive, and you can win.[/strong] Not just in elections, but in real life. Which is what it’s all about.
So when our Congressman With Guts hears from the New York Times that he is the liberal Democrat whom the Republicans love to hate, his reaction is the same as FDR’s was: “I welcome their hatred.”
When we win, and the GOP loses, they hate that. So be it. Because our whole future is at stake, and we have to win. [strong][/strong] [strong]We have to win.[/strong][br /] [br /]Team Grayson[br /]
[em]“This ain’t no party.
[br /]This ain’t no disco.
[br /]This ain’t no fooling around.
[br /]No time for dancing, or lovey dovey.
[br /]I ain’t got time for that now.”[/em]
- Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime” (1979).
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